Friday, November 25, 2011

Combined Patrol Detains 2 Suspects, Seizes Weapons

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition patrol yesterday detained two suspected insurgents and seized a weapons cache in the Khost district of Afghanistan’s Khost province, military officials reported.

The two suspects were discovered along with the cache, which contained eight grenades, two bayonets and 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- An International Security Assistance Force helicopter made a precautionary landing in eastern Afghanistan. Initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area. There were no reported injuries to crew members.

-- A combined patrol discovered a drug cache containing of 2,000 pounds of hashish in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province.

-- In the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan province, a combined force found a weapons cache containing two rocket-propelled grenade launchers and six RPG warheads with motors.

-- An Afghan citizen turned in 31 mines, 13 grenades, 12 grenade fuses, and three mine fuses to coalition forces operating in the Kahmard district of Bamyan province.

-- ISAF announced that a commander’s inquiry and a joint incident assessment team will investigate a Nov. 23 incident in southern Kandahar province that concerns several civilians being killed and injured. The incident occurred, officials said, when coalition forces responded to insurgents’ actions. “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is central to our mission here in Afghanistan and we will investigate this situation fully to determine exactly what took place and whether any further actions need to be taken,” said ISAF commander Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen. “As was President [Hamid] Karzai, I too was saddened by this event. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families who have been affected by this incident.” The joint assessment is being conducted with the assistance of Afghan authorities to determine the facts, officials said, noting the commander’s inquiry is taking place concurrently.

In Nov. 23 Afghanistan operations:

-- A Haqqani network facilitator was captured by a combined force in the Pul-e ‘Alam district of Logar province. The facilitator distributed roadside bombs and materials, and moved weapons and fighters throughout the district.

-- A combined force discovered 890 pounds of marijuana and nearly $50,000 in varied currencies in a cache in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar province.

-- A combined force seized multiple firearms and detained several suspects while searching for a Haqqani network facilitator in the Khost district of Khost province. The facilitator coordinated the movement of insurgent fighters and weapons from Pakistan to Afghanistan.